Pope Paschal II

Pope Paschal II (1062-21 January 1118), born Ranierius di Roma, was Pope from 1099 to 1118, succeeding Pope Urban II and preceding Pope Gelasius II.

Biography
Ranierius was a member of the Cluniac Order and was consecrated as Cardinal-Priest of San Clemente by Pope Gregory VII in 1073. In 1099 he was elected to succeed Pope Urban II on his death, and his reign of almost 20 years was one of the longest reigns of popes during the Middle Ages. In 1116 he proclaimed a crusade for Tarragona, and during his reign he tried to reunite Christianity in a series of dialogues with Alexius I of Byzantium, but this failed. He died in 1118.